Publishing Experience:I write science-fantasy, YA, and historical fiction. I've published non-fiction in magazines and my first novel was released in Sept. 2014.

Posted 03 January 2011 - 06:26 PM

Tell fellow AQCers what you're reading or finishing up right now in this genre bracket. Compare notes, give a review (make sure you alert us if your comments include a spoiler!), or give us the low-down on why you really enjoy what you're reading.

Publishing Experience:Short fiction published or forthcoming in various SF magazines. NOVA, the first book in a 5-book Sci-fi series, published by DAW Books June 2015.

Posted 06 January 2011 - 11:29 PM

I liked Graceling, but I hated Fire. I almost didn't finish it, that's how much I disliked it. I liked Donnelly's Revolution a lot, though.

I just finished The Curse of the Wendigo by Yancey--really good! I don't like horror at all, so all the more kudos to Yancey. Dr. Pellinore Warthrop just has all sorts of interesting facets to his character, doesn't he?

I also recently finished Pete Hautman's Blank Confession, about a kid who walks into a police station and confesses to murder on the first page. Very interesting.

The Unidentified by Rae Mariz was also interesting, a dystopian YA about kids who go school in the mall, but I felt like in the end, even the characters didn't really know just what they were striking a blow for. So interesting premise, but rather ruined by the ending.

Now I'm reading Pathfinder by Orson Scott Card. I'm only about 100 pages in so far, out of a whopping 650pgs, so I'm reserving judgment until I'm farther in.

Publishing Experience:Six published novels across Harper Collins and Penguin Random House. See my signature for titles.

Posted 07 January 2011 - 10:11 AM

I liked Graceling, but I hated Fire. I almost didn't finish it, that's how much I disliked it. I liked Donnelly's Revolution a lot, though.

I just finished The Curse of the Wendigo by Yancey--really good! I don't like horror at all, so all the more kudos to Yancey. Dr. Pellinore Warthrop just has all sorts of interesting facets to his character, doesn't he?

I also recently finished Pete Hautman's Blank Confession, about a kid who walks into a police station and confesses to murder on the first page. Very interesting.

The Unidentified by Rae Mariz was also interesting, a dystopian YA about kids who go school in the mall, but I felt like in the end, even the characters didn't really know just what they were striking a blow for. So interesting premise, but rather ruined by the ending.

Now I'm reading Pathfinder by Orson Scott Card. I'm only about 100 pages in so far, out of a whopping 650pgs, so I'm reserving judgment until I'm farther in.

Margaret - I can't tell you how thrilled I am that you liked Yancey's Monstrumologist book ! I honestly thought those two books were the best I've read in the past year - all genre and age considerations aside. Wendigo is the second in the series, have you read the Monstrumologist? Yes, Warthrop is layered and extreme and my heart broke for him in Wendigo. I also love the narrator's voice. If you're into Yancey's voice, check out his website - he posts little blurbs from the series that were cut for length reasons. Nice little short stories on their own. Love them. (the link is over on the Book Club SF / F review I wrote for the Wendigo title). If I get a chance I'll go grab it from there and post it here for you.

Revolution... well, I'm about to write a review of it. The writing is fantastic, no doubt. The plot... it's OK. The MC - I disliked intensely. Review to come!

"Establishing the accuracy of quotes found on the internet is extraordinarily difficult." - Jane Austen

Publishing Experience:Short fiction published or forthcoming in various SF magazines. NOVA, the first book in a 5-book Sci-fi series, published by DAW Books June 2015.

Posted 07 January 2011 - 05:31 PM

Yes, I did read the Monstrumologist first, BBC. I'm not really a big fan of sequels in general. A lot of series/sequels seem to fall into one of two categories. Either the author couldn't fit their story into one book and split it up into multiple books, or the sequel/series is just more adventures about the characters without really adding any depth to the world or character. I have to admit, I expected Wendigo to fall into the latter category. They headed off to Rat Portage, and I figured they'd be fighting Wendigos there for most of the book. But no, instead he takes us to the Monstrumologist conference and really builds on Warthrop's character and history, so I was pleasantly surprised.

I've been really critical of fiction this year, and there are few books, even ones I liked, that I didn't have some sort of quibble about, be it with the writing, plot, character etc. But I can honestly say that I really didn't have any criticisms coming out of Monstrumologist or Wendigo.

I hardly ever read fantasy.
I came across his novel A Fine and Private Place in a 2nd hand book sale, and was captivated. The man is a poet.
On Google I found out about the Unicorn, and my partner surprised me with the 40th anniversary edition on Xmas Day.

Publishing Experience:Six published novels across Harper Collins and Penguin Random House. See my signature for titles.

Posted 08 January 2011 - 09:21 PM

Yes, I did read the Monstrumologist first, BBC. I'm not really a big fan of sequels in general. A lot of series/sequels seem to fall into one of two categories. Either the author couldn't fit their story into one book and split it up into multiple books, or the sequel/series is just more adventures about the characters without really adding any depth to the world or character. I have to admit, I expected Wendigo to fall into the latter category. They headed off to Rat Portage, and I figured they'd be fighting Wendigos there for most of the book. But no, instead he takes us to the Monstrumologist conference and really builds on Warthrop's character and history, so I was pleasantly surprised.

I've been really critical of fiction this year, and there are few books, even ones I liked, that I didn't have some sort of quibble about, be it with the writing, plot, character etc. But I can honestly say that I really didn't have any criticisms coming out of Monstrumologist or Wendigo.

I'll be interested to see what you have to say about Revolution. =)

I particularly loved that they introduced a (past) female love interest for Warthop. That was so freakin' sad and awesome at the same time. It was much easier to understand why the Dr. is the person he became.

"Establishing the accuracy of quotes found on the internet is extraordinarily difficult." - Jane Austen

Publishing Experience:Short fiction published or forthcoming in various SF magazines. NOVA, the first book in a 5-book Sci-fi series, published by DAW Books June 2015.

Posted 09 January 2011 - 10:11 PM

I particularly loved that they introduced a (past) female love interest for Warthop. That was so freakin' sad and awesome at the same time. It was much easier to understand why the Dr. is the person he became.

(Spoiler alert)

Yes, it was very sad. I was just amazed by Warthrop's attitude in the end towards Will Henry. He's always put his needs above Will's, but he finally matured enough to think of Will over himself. I'm wondering if he's really going to send Will away.

Publishing Experience:Six published novels across Harper Collins and Penguin Random House. See my signature for titles.

Posted 09 January 2011 - 11:22 PM

My deep love for this series actually inspired me to email the author - something I've never done before. He was very approachable, and emailed me back. I congratulated him on writing such a smart, nearly Victorian novel for a YA audience. He said he's personally very in love with the novels himself, but that the sales haven't been where they need to be to keep the series going past a trilogy. As it stands right now, there will probably only be one more Monstrumologist novel, which makes me a sad panda.

"Establishing the accuracy of quotes found on the internet is extraordinarily difficult." - Jane Austen

Publishing Experience:My debut novel, SEVEN WAYS WE LIE, was released in March 2016 by Abrams and optioned for film by Jane Startz Productions. My sophomore novel, NOTEWORTHY, hits shelves May 2017.

Posted 16 January 2011 - 11:20 PM

Just checking in. I just reread my absolute favorite book from my childhood - The Phantom Tollbooth, by Norton Juster. If you haven't read it, I can't recommend it enough. It's just brilliant. Makes me cry.

Actually, I've gone on a spree of rereading my old favorites. Brian Jacques' Taggerung (from the Redwall series, about an otter trained to be the best fighter ever) and the first couple of Dinotopia books, hehe. Good times.

Then there's No More Dead Dogs by Gordon Korman - this book is absolutely fantastic. Korman is a genius. He's so freaking funny, it makes me writhe in laughter. He has this one character who has a penchant for mixing and matching figures of speech - he mentions "the icing on the gravy" and calls someone a "Benedict omelette". XD

Korman's Son of Interflux is also great. It's about a kid whose father owns a massive corporation called Interflux that holds monopolies on things like zipper teeth - things that are useless by themselves but are very necessary. This kid goes to a new arts school that detests Interflux and ends up spearheading a hipster-student movement called Antiflux that makes expansion tres difficult for the corporation. Funny stuff.

AAAnyway, none of these books are recent at all, but I love them to pieces so I thought I'd share. :)

Publishing Experience:Six published novels across Harper Collins and Penguin Random House. See my signature for titles.

Posted 17 January 2011 - 11:06 AM

Anticipa - I love re reading books that I loved when I was younger. My daughter is seven and is hitting the age where chapter books are "the coolest" and she's reading my old copies of Ramona, The Mouse and the Motorcycle, L'Engle, and so on. I tried her on Juster, but I think she was a little too young yet. It's great that I get to re read these with her.

Also, while I'm not anti e readers, I had to think to myself while we shared a tattered copy of Ramona the Pest with my name spelled wrong on the inside cover, that it wouldn't quite mean the same thing if I handed her a Kindle and said, "this was mine when I was little."

"Establishing the accuracy of quotes found on the internet is extraordinarily difficult." - Jane Austen

Publishing Experience:Have interned for a literary agent and currently work in acquisitions for a film sales and production company--basically, I read... a lot.

Am an aspiring writer and query enthusiast. Have travel blogged and been a columnist for a theatre publication.

Posted 23 January 2011 - 11:20 AM

I'm an obsessive re-reader. I suppose I suffer from severe nostalgia :). I have however, read some new YA over the past few weeks.

I finally read LEVIATHAN and BEHEMOTH by Scott Westerfield and I thought both of them were just wonderful. I haven't read much steampunk but am something of a modern european history buff and I thoroughly enjoyed this twist on World War I.

I also picked up new release ACROSS THE UNIVERSE by Beth Revis. There was a lot of hype surrounding this one and, while I think it has possibly the best opening chapter I've read in a long time, it didn't quite live-up to its reputation. It was an interesting experiment in relate-able sci-fi.

I also picked up BIRTHMARKED by Caragh M O'Brien. It's set in a dystopian future which has reverted back to a more English feudal lifestyle. It was engaging but the driving force of the plot was a little weak.

I'm really excited for DELIRIUM by Lauren Oliver coming out in February which is a YA where love is classified as a disease, and WITHER by Lauren DeStefano which is another dystopian YA with a cult bent to it.

You may have noticed I currently have a thing for dystopian. There are so many interesting dystopian (and sci-fi) YAs coming out right now. I love the creative twists that authors take on the future of our world. I think it is a both fun and frightening genre.

Think I'm going to have to go back an re-read The Phantom Tollboth though now that Anticipa has mentioned it. It is so beyond brilliant.

I finally read Unwind by Neal Shusterman. Do I need to say more than that? (Thanks for the tip, BBC!)

Last week I read Entice, third book in the Need series by Carrie Jones. The first was okay, but by the second, I knew certain things were going to annoy me, and that continued big-time in the third. I've only continued for the sake of my students who are reading them--I like to be able to chat with them about the books they read. (ETA: I'm super-picky. I can see how others would enjoy it.)

Today I started Matched by Ally Condie. One of my rare haven't-heard-a-thing-about-it-but-caught-my-eye-in-the-bookstore purchases. So far, I really like it. Another dystopian, but the kind where the MC starts out thinking it's a utopia ... just like the Society wants her to.

Publishing Experience:My work first appeared in Divine Dirt Quarterly and Oysters&Chocolate. Sadly, these are both out of print now. More recently, my short stories have appeared in two anthologies (The Spring and The Fall) from Elephant's Bookshelf Press. I have self published two novels and a short story collection.

Posted 02 February 2011 - 07:52 AM

I just finished Across the Universe by Beth Revis, which I noticed some people mentioned being excited about in the new/upcoming releases thread. I enjoyed it, and was thinking of doing a proper review..... except I've never really done one lol. Any tips? What kind of info do you like in a review? I'm afraid of it sounding like either a grade school book report or a manuscript critique haha.

Publishing Experience:I write science-fantasy, YA, and historical fiction. I've published non-fiction in magazines and my first novel was released in Sept. 2014.

Posted 02 February 2011 - 02:29 PM

I always like to know why someone enjoyed (or didn't enjoy) a book and what it's about. I don't think you have to go all analytical on every twist and turn or character development. Just write your impressions, feelings, and such. No one will be grading reviews here (unless they get too snarky or offensive for a public forum.) Have fun with it.

I finally read Unwind by Neal Shusterman. Do I need to say more than that? (Thanks for the tip, BBC!)

Last week I read Entice, third book in the Need series by Carrie Jones. The first was okay, but by the second, I knew certain things were going to annoy me, and that continued big-time in the third. I've only continued for the sake of my students who are reading them--I like to be able to chat with them about the books they read. (ETA: I'm super-picky. I can see how others would enjoy it.)

Today I started Matched by Ally Condie. One of my rare haven't-heard-a-thing-about-it-but-caught-my-eye-in-the-bookstore purchases. So far, I really like it. Another dystopian, but the kind where the MC starts out thinking it's a utopia ... just like the Society wants her to.

RC, I'm with you on Carrie Jones' Need series. The first book was fine--thought it was interesting to read about pixies and weres. The second, Captivate, failed to captivate me. And the third, Entice, which I just read last week was excruciating. And hey, it's not over since the third book leaves us with an impending war. I don't think I'll be bothering to find out though.

I also read and finished Matched by Ally Condie yesterday. Yep, I read it in one day. It is not a "blow your mind away" kind of prose, but it isn't dreary and she's actually a very decent writer. The utopia/dystopia concept is not very original, but I found her characters likable. Even the love triangle wasn't a cheesy "super-desirable-girl-with-two-guys-madly-in-love-with-her". I liked the book--not blown away--but it's in my good list.

A professional writer is an amateur who didn't quit.--Richard Bach

"Writing is easy. All you have to do is stare at a blank piece of paper until drops of blood form on your forehead." Gene Fowler

Publishing Experience:Six published novels across Harper Collins and Penguin Random House. See my signature for titles.

Posted 03 February 2011 - 11:27 PM

I just finished Across the Universe by Beth Revis, which I noticed some people mentioned being excited about in the new/upcoming releases thread. I enjoyed it, and was thinking of doing a proper review..... except I've never really done one lol. Any tips? What kind of info do you like in a review? I'm afraid of it sounding like either a grade school book report or a manuscript critique haha.

Just write it, J Lea. There's no trick to it I'd love to have other people posting reviews on here besides me!

"Establishing the accuracy of quotes found on the internet is extraordinarily difficult." - Jane Austen